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Kamala Harris races towards 2024 nomination after whirlwind start Kamala Harris races towards 2024 nomination after whirlwind start
(about 4 hours later)
Vice-president heads into almost unassailable position as top figures voice support and campaign donations pour in Vice-president to hold first campaign rally in Milwaukee as top figures voice support and campaign donations pour in
Kamala Harris enters the second full day of her campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday in an almost unassailable position, following a whirlwind 24 hours that saw almost every senior party figure championing her candidacy. Kamala Harris is carrying the energy and momentum from a whirlwind ascent to the presumptive Democratic presidential nomination to her first campaign rally in Milwaukee on Tuesday afternoon, as she takes the first formal steps towards choosing a running mate.
The rapid pace at which the vice-president racked up endorsements was matched by an avalanche of donations to the newly branded Harris for President campaign, which had already inherited Joe Biden’s $96m when he abandoned his re-election effort on Sunday. Her appearance in Milwaukee follows confirmation on Monday that the vice-president had secured the support of enough Democratic party delegates at its national convention next month to win the nomination for November’s election.
More than $100m poured into campaign coffers in its first day, a spokesperson said on Monday, calling it the largest single-day haul of any presidential candidate in history and with most of the money coming from grassroots donors making their first contributions of the election cycle. Harris also fired up staff during a rousing appearance at campaign headquarters in Delaware on Monday night, when she tore into the Republican nominee, Donald Trump, and praised the “bold and visionary” leadership of President Joe Biden, who abandoned his re-election campaign the day before.
Campaign officials, however, were equally as enthused by the succession of heavyweight Democrats who voiced their support for Harris, notably Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker who called the vice-president “brilliantly astute” and “rooted in strong values, faith and a commitment to public service”. Biden will deliver a prime-time address to the nation on Wednesday evening to explain his decision and lay out his vision for his final six months in the White House, he said in a tweet.
All 23 Democratic state governors have publicly backed her, including several who had been considered potential rivals for the nomination, such as Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer and JB Pritzker of Illinois. Whitmer said she had no interest in opposing Harris and would instead serve as co-chair of the campaign. Meanwhile on Tuesday, several US media outlets reported that the Harris for President campaign had requested vetting materials from a number of potential candidates for vice-president, including the Democratic governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania and Roy Cooper of North Carolina, and the Democratic Arizona senator Mark Kelly.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, and the Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, stopped short of endorsing her, but said she’s “off to a great start” and that they will meet with her “shortly”. The news that Harris had already begun assessing potential running mates reflects the speed at which the campaign is moving towards next month’s Democratic national convention in Chicago, at which the party’s candidates must be confirmed.
“The vice-president has excited communities, she’s excited the House Democratic caucus and she’s exciting the country,” Jeffries told reporters. A survey by the Associated Press indicated that Harris had the backing of 2,688 state delegates, far more than the 1,976 needed to become the nominee.
Later on Monday, Harris met with campaign staff in Delaware and delivered an energetic speech in which she was critical of Donald Trump and said: “We’re not going back.” “When I announced my campaign for president, I said I intended to go out and earn this nomination. I am proud to have secured the broad support needed to become our party’s nominee, and as a daughter of California, I am proud that my home state’s delegation helped put our campaign over the top,” Harris, a former California senator, said in a statement.
Although Harris must still be confirmed as the nominee by delegates at the Democratic national convention in Chicago next month, there is a feeling of increased inevitability that she will be the party’s candidate in November. By Monday night, she had earned enough support from those delegates to become the Democrats’ White House nominee in November. “I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon.”
Harris then issued a statement saying that she was looking forward to “formally accepting the nomination soon”. A CBS News/YouGov poll on Tuesday found that 83% of Democratic registered voters approved of Biden withdrawing from the race, while just 17% disapproved.
Polls matching Harris against Trump were tighter, but showed Democrats gaining ground. Morning Consult found that the former president has 47% support nationally to Harris’s 45%, while Biden trailed Trump by six percentage points in an earlier poll.
All 23 Democratic state governors have publicly backed Harris, including several who had been considered potential rivals for the nomination, such as Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer and JB Pritzker of Illinois. Whitmer said she had no interest in opposing Harris and would instead serve as co-chair of the campaign.
Shapiro, Cooper and Kelly are among five vice-presidential contenders asked by the campaign to return vetting materials, with Whitmer and the Minnesota governor, Tim Walz, the others, according to NBC News.
A surprise omission was Kentucky’s governor, Andy Beshear, a vocal Harris acolyte who had been considered to be a candidate for the position. He told CNN he had not received a package from the campaign, but would “at least listen” if he was called, stressing his focus was the people of Kentucky.
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Eric Holder, attorney general during Barack Obama’s administration, has been hired to vet Harris’s potential picks of her running mate, according to Reuters. And a number of organizing efforts are also under way on her behalf, including by the Win With Black Women advocacy group that hosted a Zoom call for 44,000 people and raised more than $1.5m. Eric Holder, the attorney general during Barack Obama’s administration, has been hired to vet Harris’s potential picks of her running mate, according to Reuters.
In a statement from the White House, Harris’s staff attempted to assure the public that her new campaign obligations posed no conflict to her role as vice-president, which has become more onerous this week as Biden recovers from Covid. Harris entered the second full day of her campaign for the nomination in an almost unassailable position, following a breathless 24 hours that saw almost every senior party figure championing her candidacy.
Harris “will continue her travel across the country in July as she participates in a series of events with key constituencies”, the statement said. The rapid pace at which she racked up endorsements was matched by an avalanche of donations. More than $100m poured into campaign coffers in its first day, a spokesperson said on Monday, calling it the largest single-day haul of any presidential candidate in history and with most of the money coming from grassroots donors making their first contributions of the election cycle.
She is scheduled to appear at a campaign event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, later on Tuesday, her fifth visit to the key swing state this year. Campaign officials, however, were equally enthused by the succession of heavyweight Democrats who voiced their support for Harris, notably Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker who called the vice-president “brilliantly astute” and “rooted in strong values, faith and a commitment to public service”.
A number of organizing efforts are also under way on her behalf. The Win With Black Women advocacy group hosted a Zoom call for 44,000 people and raised more than $1.5m. A similar initiative involving more than 20,000 Black men on Monday pulled in at least another million.
Among the high-profile endorsements to come in for Harris on Tuesday was that of George Clooney, the Hollywood actor who wrote a powerful opinion article earlier this month calling for Biden to step aside.
“President Biden has shown what true leadership is. He’s saving democracy once again. We’re all so excited to do whatever we can to support Vice-President Harris in her historic quest,” he said in a statement.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, and Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, were expected to add their endorsements at a press conference on Tuesday. Both met with Harris on Monday night.
“The vice-president has excited communities, she’s excited the House Democratic caucus and she’s exciting the country,” Jeffries told reporters on Monday.